It’s Thursday again (the days are going too fast, right??) and time for another photography post with Theme Thursday: Girls. It seems like I am always posting pics of the boys and  Bella is due for some blog time.

I remember when I was pregnant with Bella I secretly hoped that my firstborn would be a girl but when we went to my ultrasound, the doctor couldn’t tell. He said if he had to guess, it looked like boy. I was just happy to see my little peanut dancing around on the screen and I  filled the baby’s closet with blue  outfits and cover-alls and various other boy things.

Well, her birth was a surprise on many levels. I had just finished my eight month and had one month left in my pregnancy. My dad, my mom and one of my brothers drove up from So Cal to attend the baby shower my mother-in-law was giving. The night before the baby shower I was feeling really tired and the braxton hicks that I kept having didn’t seem to let up.

After a restless night I told Brian we better call the doctor because although the pain was sporadic, it felt like something out of the ordinary was going on. Before I could reach the phone my water broke and contractions came at full force. Eventually Brian and my brother (who was sleeping on the couch at our apartment) got me to the car, drove me to the hospital and got me checked in. When the nurse walked into the room and looked to see how I was doing, her face looked up in alarm and she called out that I was ready to have the baby NOW. The doctor and nurses rushed around gathering equipment and before I could fully comprehend what was really going on (I think I was still in shock and denial) I was told to push. Shortly after, I heard the unexpected words, “It’s A Girl!” And there she was, 3 lbs and 12 oz of sweetness screaming her lungs out. We still laugh today that Bella’s baby shower became a birthday party. (You can read the longer version of Bella’s birth story here. Just scroll down to September 2001.)

After 11 days in the NICU, we were finally able to take our sweet girl home. It feels like such a short, short time ago.

My baby girl at 3 months.

Last night I grabbed my camera and told Bella I wanted to take a photo of her for today’s theme. She asked me to take one with both of us. I told her I had been cleaning all day, my hair was a mess, I had no make-up, let me at least fix myself up a little…blah, blah, blah. She grabbed my hand and said, “You look great, mom. Let’s do it together.” So for the second week in a row, my heart melted at such child-like love. So as Brian and the boys were running around the house re-enacting Jedi light saber duals, we ran out on the deck and snapped this photo. Mother and daughter bonding as female allies in a house of boys.

My baby girl at 11.

Then we grabbed some extra light sabers and joined the battle. 🙂

Thanks to Cari for hosting!